Transformers Animated

[BatWing]

is anyone here lookin forward to this?
it looks kinda like star wars clone wars
and optimus is like misshaped
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[MJB]

I've learned not to think ill of Cartoon Network programs until I give them a shot.

Too many times I have based an opinion on preliminary art and not give the story a chance. Lots of people "pooh poohed" the Teen Titans show just from the designs alone. My kids loved that series. Optimus looks quite odd in that promo pic but I'll wait to watch the show with my kids before passing judgement.

-MJB

[Verfall]

Unlike jeebs, I'm just gonna say WHAT...THE...EXPLETIVE?!? and be done with it.

[BatWing]

yeah
rumors has it that

:spoiler:
[spoiler]bumblebee, bulkhead, prowl, rachet and ultra magnus is gonna be in it[/spoiler]


of course megatron is in it

[MJB]

Wizard has some more details about the new Transfomers Animated series.

CLICK ME DAMMIT!

-MJB

[crimsonquill]

Wizard has some more details about the new Transfomers Animated series.

Okay, I'm slightly more interested in seeing where this is going.... but when I heard that the Teen Titans artist team did the character designs I had some reservations but that whole promotional poster had my brain melting out of my ears (plus someone better get it straight that Prime is from Generation 1 or later on because that doesn't look like Semi on the bottom). It's like a mesh of Loonatics Unleashed and Go-Bots cartoons with some of the new movie mixed in with a dash of the original Transformers for that old school feeling.  :blink: The voice cast looks interesting however and the line-up on the Decepticons side also brings some strange team chemistry.

- CrimsonQuill

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I don't know if I like the superhero elements being brought it, with superpowered humans being enemies as often as the Decepticons.  I don't know, but Transformers are not the same as regular superheroes.

As for the style, it reminds me a lot of the Timniverse style--which just doesn't work for Transformers.  I'm sorry, it doesn't.

[Glitch Girl]

I think this is one of those cases where I'm going to have to see it in context before I decide.

Samuari Jack, Batman:TAS, and Clone Wars... when I saw the static character designs, I didn't really like them, but then I saw the actual cartoon and fell in love with 'em. I hope that's the case here.

[MJB]

On the plus side Tom Kenny is voicing Starscream. According to the Wizard article he is imitating Chris Latta. If anyone can do Latta justice it may be Kenny.

On the negative side I've never heard of the two guys who are supposedly playing Optimus and Megatron. IMDB lists the actors as David Kaye and Corey Burton. IMDB isn't the most reliable site so things can change once more information is given by Cartoon Network.

-MJB

[BentonGrey]

I don't know if I like the superhero elements being brought it, with superpowered humans being enemies as often as the Decepticons.  I don't know, but Transformers are not the same as regular superheroes.

As for the style, it reminds me a lot of the Timniverse style--which just doesn't work for Transformers.  I'm sorry, it doesn't.

Exactly...........I'm adopting a frightened wait-and-see policy with this one.

[Pyroclasm]

On the negative side I've never heard of the two guys who are supposedly playing Optimus and Megatron. IMDB lists the actors as David Kaye and Corey Burton. IMDB isn't the most reliable site so things can change once more information is given by Cartoon Network.

David Kaye has played Megatron more than any other actor, starting with his excellent rendition in Beast Wars.

[BatWing]

yesss

[Night Dragon]

On the negative side I've never heard of the two guys who are supposedly playing Optimus and Megatron. IMDB lists the actors as David Kaye and Corey Burton.

-MJB

You never heard of Corey Burton, but you've definetly heard him. He played Spike in the Transformer toons from the 80s.

[MJB]

I'm pretty good with matching voices but I'm terrible with names.

So Kaye did Megs on the Beast Wars toon? Not my favorite rendition of him but it worked. I liked Beast Wars and have steered clear of all the new "anime" inspired versions of the show.

-MJB

[zuludelta]

I'm interested to see how this works out. At the very least, I'm glad that there's an alternative to the current Transformers cartoons they're showing on TV... I only occasionally watch those things for the unintentional comedy they can sometimes provide.

[Silver Shocker]

On the plus side Tom Kenny is voicing Starscream. According to the Wizard article he is imitating Chris Latta. If anyone can do Latta justice it may be Kenny.

-MJB

I agree with that. Latta's high pitched Starscream is very hard to do justice and few have tried in the biz. Kenny may just pull it off.

You never heard of Corey Burton, but you've definetly heard him. He played Spike in the Transformer toons from the 80s.

He also played Brainiac in Superman TAS and JLU, and got a chance or two to voice Toyman in Justice League when the original didn't do it, and was Palpatine in Clone Wars.

David Kaye has played Megatron more than any other actor, starting with his excellent rendition in Beast Wars.

Indeed the energy and wit he brought to Beast Wars Megatron was delightfull (and he did try in Beast Machines, but the material wasn't on his side, or any of the VAs for that matter except Richard Newman (Rhinox) and Brian Drummond (Jetstorm). But he and Gary Chalk (Optimus Primal) couldn't have phoned it in MORE in Armada, Energon and Cybertron. The voices were familiar but it just wasn't the same. I don't think the weaker characters and digital voice effect was entirely responsible, I just don't think they could get into the roles.

On the topic of the new series; I'm wary. I'd give it a try no doubt, but I don't know if this is gonna be good or not. The animation style is a little too exxaggerated for me, I usually don't like the stylistic angular stuff, but I actually think the designs are pretty neat. Black Arachnia, eh? Nice. She was definately one of the stronger written characters in Beast Wars and certainly Venus Terzo's strongest voice role I've heard. Sounds like this version's pretty similar too. I'm glad there's a female character in the batch, the TF series really don't use the female characters that well. Even when they have one or two good ones, they're mostly overshadowed by the dozens of male characters. I guess they find female transformers hard to design because they feel its nesisary to make them look unmistakably female, and not bulky or blocky like most of the males.

[MJB]

There is no reason not to include Arcee at some point if they are putting Arachnia in.

Plus am I the only one who would enjoy a new version of Waspinator from Beast Wars? I loved that character.

-MJB

[Silver Shocker]

Who didn't? Waspinator was a wonderfull character, pitable, and usually good for a laugh or three, back when Scott Mcneil wasn't a name and voice I dreaded hearing in my cartoons. However, I hate to think how badly a poorly written TF show could get Waspinator wrong. I actually think he was one of the *BETTER* written characters in Beast Machines, maybe one of the two or three that actually retained thier original personality.

"Oh sure, don't mind Waspinator....Waspinator just lay here and SUFFER, dragging HIMSELF to C.R. tank!"

As for Arcee, I agree. I think there should be a female character on both sides to even things out. Female characters shouldn't be that much harder to write than the male characters without making them out to be airheads, ditzs, or damels in distress. The good thing about them being Transformers is even if they arn't bulky and strong like the males usually are, they can still be bristling with firepower.

[crimsonquill]

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED VOICE CAST ANNOUNCED

The guys at Toonzone (www.news.toonzone.net) managed to get to this year’s Transformers Botcon last weekend and picked up this important bit of news.

Attending a panel by former Autobot v.o. actor David Kaye, the following voice cast for the upcoming animated series was released. Here’s the list:

Bumblebee - Bumper Robinson
Bulkhead - Bill Fagerbakke
Prowl - Jeff Bennett
Ultra Magnus - also Jeff Bennett
Arcee - Susan Blu (also the voice director)
Blackarachnia - Cree Summer
Jazz - Phil Lamarr
Shockwave - Corey Burton
A Constructicon - Tom Kenny
A garbage truck (Junkion?) - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Kaye himself is voicing Optimus. Corey Burton will do Megatron while Tom Kenny will do Starscream.

The new animated series is expected to come to Cartoon Network over the next year.

- CrimsonQuill

[MJB]

Nice to see at least 1 TF:The Movie vet on the list. Susan has always done a good job as Arcee.

Johnny Bravo himself as Ultra Magnus? Phil Lemarr as Jazz? Sweet!

The voice cast is shaping up nicely.

-MJB

[BatWing]

good voice cast set up

[Glitch Girl]

Very.  Lots of names I recognize from other voice work.  If nothing else, the sound will be VERY solid.  I feel very confident with LaMar doing Jazz (a personal favorite character from G1)  and Jeff Bennett is just pure voice talent.

I'm hoping Bill Fagerbakke gets to do a character akin to the one he voiced in "Roughnecks" rather than his regular stint on "Spongebob".   

Weird Al doing a character... I remember "Dare to be Stupid" in the movie.  I guess this is also a nod to that. 

[crimsonquill]

Additional info from Con appearance:

Sources from the David Kaye panel have confirmed that he said that all voice recording sessions were done in the traditional "Radio Play" method with everyone reading live in the same room. Which is a comfort since the best of Warner Brothers' and 20th Century Fox's cartoons have been done this way as well. At the time of the panel there have already been 2 seasons worth of scripts already recorded and hints were given that makes about 29 episodes total to be animated not including the pilot movie.

David also confirmed that another actor from the '80s Transformers Movie will be back.. John "American Express" Moschitta will also make an appearance as Blurr in a few episodes.

A fan also made a comment that he heard a rumor that David Kaye once did a version of Sesame Street's "Rubber Ducky" song as Megatron during a sound check for Beast Wars. Since Kaye was in a good mood he decided to give the attending audience a sample of what he did: http://rubberduckmegatron.ytmnd.com/ (the link is to a makeshift site someone threw together to host it).

Just before he left.. Kaye also dropped a hint that he might have also done a few additional characters which included a certain T-Rex and a new character called Lugnut.

- CrimsonQuill

[Silver Shocker]

YES! I was hoping Susan Blu would play Arcee again. Very cool.
Hard to go wrong with Phil Lemarr. Good choice for Jazz I think.
Jeff Bennet did great work on Gargoyles and he was great as "D.A.V.E." in The Batman (actually that was my favourite episode), so I'm happy there.
Cree Summer as Blackarachnia....it could work. It's not a horrible choice.

Just listened to that Megatron Rubber Duckie bit-cute, but sound qualitie's fairly poor. I always liked that Megatron had a rubber duckie. I once read a somewhat funny fanfic about Waspinator trying to steal it.

[XLR8er]

i'm looking forward to this
this animated transformers might be alright :)

[Pyroclasm]

Here is a cam clip of "Transformers: Animated" from when it was unveiled at San Diego Comic Con.
http://enewsi.com/c/gvid.php?i=11455

Seeing it in movement has not changed my mind.  The style is still dren.  Now this confirms it looks like dren when in motion.  Guess I'll just patiently await for the next series to come out.

[detourne_me]

thanks for the video,  now my mind is set.  i really want to see it!
it looks quite a bit like Teen Titans, and i hope it will keep the comedy.
in my mind,  it looks a little better than the preview for the new spidey series.

[MJB]

You can really see the Teen Titans influence in this preview. After watching TT with my kids (the audience it was intended for) I grew to appreciate the show. 

My initial reaction to the style/animation is not a positive one but I am old enough to realize that I am not the target audience.

I am sure that when I show this trailer to my 8 year old, he will think it is "awesome".

-MJB

[JeyNyce]

It's okay.  That style worked well for TT because they are human.  The style make the robots a little too human.  I'm just noticing the way they move and stuff.  Of course, you have to have at least 1 human contact :rolleyes:  I'm going to watch it, but nothing beat the TF from the 80's  :thumbup:

[The Pwime]

The Ninja motorcycle is irritating, as is Prime's mouth.  And what the hell is up with the axe?  I find that to push the "Fire Truck" thing too far...no gun for Prime?  Coooooommmme onnnnnn....

If the story is any good like Teen Titans was, I'll watch it.  if not, then that combined with all the things I already dislike about it will keep me FAR away from this series.